Glynn County will have a second college campus by January 2013. 

Courtesy of ERIKA CAPEK -- The Brunswick News:  Altamaha Technical College, which now uses space at Golden Isles Career Academy, a public high school program, will begin construction next fall on a building adjacent to the career academy at 4404 Glynco Parkway.

Architects for the building have already been hired, said Lorette Hoover, president of Altamaha Technical College, which has campuses in Jesup, Baxley, Hazlehurst, Camden and Glynn counties. The college serves students from seven counties - Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Appling, Jeff Davis, Long and Wayne.

The 55,000-square-foot building, which may be two or three stories high, will have a coastal feel to it and be environmentally friendly.

Bonds to finance construction are expected to be sold in April or May. The project will cost about $16 million and include a truck driving range at the 4-acre site donated by the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority. "To me, that's going to be a strength for the Development Authority and Chamber (of Commerce) to attract new investment in the community," said Woody Woodside, president of the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce.

Nathan Sparks, development authority director, said he's excited about the overall prospects from College of Coastal Georgia, the county's new four-year college, and Altamaha Technical College and the career academy growing in the community.

"Now we truly have a multi-prong offering when we talk to businesses," Sparks said.

One benefit of the technical college is that it provides real work training, Sparks said. "It's training that when a student completes it successfully, they'll be well-positioned to enter the work force immediately," he said.

Altamaha Technical College recently was named one of the top four technical colleges in Georgia, as a finalist for the Technical College System of Georgia College of the Year Award.

Melinda Laager, Altamaha Technical College community relations representative, said the distinction is phenomenal. The college had the highest graduation rate in the state for technical colleges, at 77.11 percent. Overall enrollment increased 81.6 percent, and the job placement rate last year was 96.7 percent.

Altamaha Technical College is one of 26 schools in the Technical College System of Georgia. It provides technical education programs at the associate degree, diploma and certificate levels. One of the goals is to stimulate the region's work force readiness and community development.

After College of Coastal Georgia dropped its technical programs to become a four-year institution, beginning in fall 2009,Altamaha Technical College became the technical education provider for the area.

With the change, the number of programs went from seven to 45 at the Glynn County site, and enrollment jumped from about 324 credit-earning students to more than 800. Hoover expects enrollment to rise to more than 1,000 students next year.